The Flying Demon
by Kurogane7
Summary: Pirates AU. After seven years, The Flying Demon has returned again to seek a bride who will be loyal to him. Is Yuffie the one? Read and review, would you kindly?
1. Attack

_**A/N: Inspired by Pirate Vincent in my last story "Trapped", and also by listening to too much classical music from Richard Wagner… this is to train me on the art of adding feelings to the characters. I know it's short, but if you would kindly read and review, that would be nice—it would let me know if it's worth continuing…**_

_**

* * *

**_

Godo Kisaragi and the rest of the crew of the "Highwind" were sailing on over back to Wutai. The airship was low on fuel, a stop would be necessary—not to mention that everyone had just come on over from Costa Del Sol. "Cid, have we found a port yet?" he asked the pilot, "The entire crew is getting tired here, and frankly, I don't blame them."

"Would you fucking relax boss?" said Captain Highwind, "I know what the bloody fuck I'm doing, the next port that would take us to Wutai faster is up over at Nibelheim. We stop there, we gas the fuck up, and we get the fuck out of there. I heard stories about that place, not that I believe them, but I am still very spooked out whenever I land there."

"What kind of stories?"

"Sky pirate attacks…quite a bloody few of them. Those blighters attack when they know that an airship has landed to gas up. We just have to pray that those fucking wankers aren't home. But the worst of these bloody stories I've heard about is this one crew—they come and attack any ship, be it pirate, military, or merchant, and they disappear…some of the crew are missing, some are dead, but one thing's for sure, all the gold that was onboard the attacked vessel was cleaned out…and then there's no trace of the crew or the ship anywhere, as if they were ghosts."

"Maybe they are professional pirates."

"If it were professionals, then the rest of the bloody goods would have been gone as well. And I can tell you, no ship can attack and leave in a matter of minutes and…"

A crewmember had come running into the helm. "Captain! We have a problem."

Captain Highwind got up from his seat, and walked quickly towards the crewmember. "You fucking blighter! Haven't you heard of knocking? What's the bloody problem?!"

"We have an unidentified airship approaching us. But from the rough look I had on it, it appeared to be a Bahamut-class battle cruiser."

The captain's eyes widened in surprise. "Bahamut? Those things are bloody old as hell! Have you tried hailing them?" Bahamut-class battle cruisers were rather fast and heavily-armed airships. They were not as fast as a destroyer, but they could level an entire city in one barrage alone…to see one of these ships in one piece and outside of an aviation museum or private collection is very rare as many of them have been scrapped since the last war almost thirty years ago, and they are rare ships to begin with.

"We have, but they won't respond—they're accelerating as of this moment."

Cid paled with fear. "Get the crew ready—it sounds like we have a pirate coming on over…have some of the crew armed, and get that speed cranked up! Man those fucking…"

"Don't bother with the cannons or running away" said Godo, his voice calm but not betraying the fear in it, "just arm the crew."

When Cid and his crewmember turned around, he saw what his boss had meant—the battle cruiser had started positioning itself to board the "Highwind". Bahamut-class battle cruisers were old engines of warfare, but they were also unique works of art due to their streamlined designs and the enormous amount of attention to detail in making each ship not only beautiful, but durable and practical. This particular ship was colored black and red with ornate gold and silver inlays…at the keel of the airship was a silver statue of an angel looking forward with her hair flowing backwards with the winds…if the Bahamut battle cruisers were beautiful, then this particular model put the rest to shame…but something about this model of this series of battle cruisers was familiar to Captain Highwind…where had he seen this model of Bahamut?

* * *

_**A/N: The particular song by Wagner that put me in a beat for this story is the overture for "Der Fliegende Hollander" (in English, it's "The Flying Dutchman").**_


	2. Captain Valentine

_**A/N: Now we get to meet the captain…

* * *

**_

A man sat in the throne room-like captain's quarters of the Bahamut-class battle cruiser "Crimson Angel". As he looked around, he found himself looking into mist-shrouded skies through the windows outside his cabin. The captain wore a full-faced demonic mask with a hole carved in the mouth to allow him to speak. His eyes were the color of rubies that once held a fire in them…a fire he had lost more than thirty years ago when he had broken his oath to return to his beloved alive, and his hair was like straightened curtains of black silk. But now, after seven years of waiting, he had finally found another opportunity to renew his oath of eternal love—not simply to free himself of this curse, but to find someone whom he loves, and whom would love him back.

"Captain," said the holographic avatar, "we've spotted a merchant vessel. Shall we plunder it?"

"We may as well Shelke," said the captain, standing up, "we don't have much else to do but to engage in piracy. I am well aware that the war had ended almost thirty years ago, but that doesn't mean that the curse is over yet…I still need to lift it, or else none of us may get rest…it's my responsibility after all, to free us all…"

"You were never like this when I first met you," said Shelke, looking at her captain, desperation in her eyes, "the day your father gave me to you, I've noticed that you had this spark in your eyes—one that never died. I may just be a mind implanted into a machine, but I still have feelings, and I still have eyes to observe you. It was never your fault—if you want to point fingers at anyone, then point them at me. I thought it was safe on that mission…I never counted on a bomb being in my core unit…"

The captain got up from behind his desk, his red officer's coat added some contrast to all the form-fitting light black armor he was wearing while he went to a wall east of his current position. A sigh had accompanied his voice of despair as he walked. "That does not change the fact that I made a promise to return to Lucrecia alive—I heard from the afterlife that she had cursed me for leaving her; she put this curse on me because I allowed her family to go on with the arranged marriage to Hojo, thus stopping me from taking her away from a life of abuse. In any case, don't dawdle, we must arm up the crew and accelerate the speed. We're intercepting that merchant, so get us on broadside with them…it's about time I paid my crew."

The captain pressed a button revealing a rack of weapons, all of them ornate and beautiful like the "Crimson Angel", and equally deadly in a boarding assault. At the upper end of the rack were four firearms of different classes: one was a Galian Beast .500-calibre single-action revolver, a sawn-off Death Gigas pump action shotgun chambered for 12-gauge shotgun shells, a Hellmasker lever-action carbine, and a Chaos sniper rifle. At the bottom of the rack was a gigantic robotic gauntlet with long and thin clawed digits for his left hand, as well as a Wutainese katana.

The captain tied the katana to his left side with the edge of the blade pointing upwards before slipping on the robotic gauntlet onto his left forearm and over the sleeve, testing that the connections in the gauntlet by flexing the fingers—they moved with the agility and dexterity of a real hand. With his right hand, he selected the revolver, and checked its cylinder—it was fully loaded for six shots…as he holstered the pistol, he reminded himself that he'll have to be careful in case it turns out that he'll be needing to shoot his way out. The crew knows that they are not allowed to kill any member of the target ship without his permission…there are dire consequences to those that violate this rule on his ship, and so the best case scenario is that they take the cash, they leave, no harm done…and then the reputation of the "Crimson Angel" will spread like wildfire. After arming himself, the captain found himself walking towards the starboard side of his ship—after dragging in the airship with grappling hooks, they eventually found the doorway that would open for the docks.

The captain watched as his men prepared to breach the door with shaped charges while everyone else stacked up and waited a good distance away before going through the breach. As he stood by door from the other end, the captain remained emotionless as he gave the orders to detonate. With that, all members of the boarding party had poured in through the entrance, and started making noise. Gunshots were heard and the sound of men howling and roaring for the attack could be heard everywhere. The men had their fun, and he was going to make it to the captain's quarters…a typical merchant vessel such as this would have not only the captain onboard, but also the employer as well. He started sneaking his way around the ship, hiding in dark corners while men ran to and fro in order dispatch of the distraction his men had caused. This was way too easy…as he stole his way through the dark areas of the ship he found a closed set of reinforced doors…there was his target! He came out of the shadows, and looked around—he found an airshaft. The captain melded back into the shadows, and waited…he then watched as the doors opened—and three men ran out…the captain's breaching crew must be forcing them to call in reinforcements. With that, he remembered where he had to go before the door closed…a trick that he had picked up during his years under the curse.

From his area in the shadows, the captain saw why it was too easy; they had concentrated the rest of their forces here in the captain's quarters. His chain-smoking opponent wielded a spear—decent reach and even deadlier in the hands of a master, which he was. There were twelve guards including the captain, and one unarmed man—a Wutainese man with a beard and mustache, wearing high-priced clothing. That was the employer all right. "What the fuck makes you think he'll come here?" asked the spearman, "It's standard Wutainese Special Operations tactics," said the Wutainese calmly, "whoever it is that's attacking us is only using his crew to divert our attention. I'm very sure that he will try to approach this room using a very subtle method, and so we'll have to assume that he's in this very room."

The Wutainese man glared in his direction. He had been found out…a shiver that had not run down his spine in a very long time had started to chill him greatly. "Very good," said the captain, appearing such that he was back-to-back with his target, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a part of the Wutainese Special Operations unit yourself. Perhaps I can have a word with you, ninja to ninja?"

"Judging by your skill, I'd say you're a master-level ninja at the very least…perhaps you are a rogue ninja?"

With that, the captain kicked off and began his attack: he brought out his revolver, and started shooting three rounds as the spearman charged in and attempted to impale his opponent in one thrust after slicing all three bullets in midair. The captain dodged the attack, and brought his claw down in an attempt to slice the spearman only to succeed in slicing up his spear in five places and landing a pistol whip to the back of his opponent's head. His next move was to leap into the air, and landing a sweep kick that tripped up the six sailors around him upon landing, stabbing them all in the thigh muscles to stop them from fighting back. He then moved quickly to avoid the spray of automatic rifles aimed at him by hiding behind a table he had kicked up, and taking advantage of the cover to wait until they ran out of ammunition. Upon hearing that telltale click of rifles running out of bullets, the captain leapt out from behind the table, and started slicing up their rifles before they could reload, and then turning his attention to his goal: he had just barely and gently touched him with the blades of his claw, and just as he was about to draw that katana from his left side.

The captain shook his head. His target knew better than to draw when he had a master on him this quickly—especially when his head was in between his opponent's index and ring fingers while his thumb was over his rib cage and his remaining fingers were over his left shoulder; one wrong move will guarantee a very deep cut that could sever his subclavian arteries and target his heart in one go. "I really wouldn't mess around with a weapon such as this…the power claw just happens to be one of the weapons I have mastered first. You as a ninja should be very familiar with its use…how the blades at the tip of the claw vibrate as they rip through armor and flesh alike, and still be as agile as an organic hand. Do you yield?"

"I beg of you not to kill me," he said, "I have a daughter at home. She isn't married yet. I'd like to see her married before that happens. She's all I have left of my wife." The look in the captain's eyes had softened before he drew his revolver, and cocked the hammer upon hearing the spearman grunting as he started getting back up—he had to respect the man's stamina. "A daughter?" he asked, his hands leaving neither his opponent nor his target. The captain gazed at the merchant's eyes…there was no greed in them—just the look of a father who really did love his daughter.

With a sigh, the captain released his hold on the merchant, and gently released the hammer of his revolver. "Perhaps I can make a compromise then. I will let you all live, and even pay you for it." The spearman and the merchant both looked at each other with confusion before looking towards the man that had masterminded the attack on their ship.

"There is one stipulation however: I wish to wed your daughter…the money I am giving you will pay for everything."

"Hold the fuck on…" shouted the spearman, before he was interrupted by the sound of the revolver cocking, his voice was steady knowing that he had to choose his words carefully, but it still betrayed the anger in his voice, "I didn't mean it like that…it's just that you're buying yourself a wife? Where in the world the do you get such an idea like that?"

"Who said I'm buying her? I don't need to buy, not when I can just steal it away. No, I'm not buying nor am I stealing anything…I just want to get to know her…I want to see her laugh…see her cry…I want to see everything about her, the good and the bad. So you see gentlemen, this money is not for bride, but for the bride price…after all, is it not customary in traditional Wutainese manners for the man who declared his intention to marry to pay a bride price? I am not asking much…just a week or two to get to know her will be fine."

The merchant looked on at the captain as if inspecting him. "What if you don't like her? Are you going to kill me then?" The captain turned to face the merchant as he released the hammer of the gun and holstered it. "No, you can keep the money all the same—I can always plunder for more. So will you accept the terms of my agreement?" The merchant had a look on his face of careful consideration—was he willing to give his daughter up to this stranger? The captain did not blame him. They barely just met, and so he has a reason to be suspicious.

After five minutes of thinking, the merchant spoke up. "I'll do it, but under one condition."

"Name it."

"If you hurt my daughter in any way…ANY WAY…I will kill you myself. Am I understood?"

The captain stretched his right hand out, and shook hands with the merchant. The deal was sealed. Once done, the captain released his hold, and pulled out a small old-fashioned walkie-talkie from his sleeve. "Reno, call everybody off. Make it known that nobody is to harm the crew of the 'Highwind', nor are they to take anything from this ship, and call Doctor Gainsborough down here…we need her and her nurses to tend to the injured. Also, get Shera over here from the engine room—we have some repairs to make as soon as we land."

With that, the captain pocketed the walkie-talkie, and reached for his mask. Underneath the demonic visage was a man in his late twenties with eyes the color of rubies…his looks put women to shame. "I am Captain Valentine," he said, bowing before the merchant, "a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

_**A/N: I had to add elements from the Dark Eldar Archon miniature to describe Vincent's sky pirate form.**_

_**Vocabulary**_

_**Subclavian arteries—these are the arteries under your shoulders…do not let these get cut!!!**_


	3. Yuffie

_**A/N: Oh good, Yuffie is now in the picture…how will she react to news of getting a fiancé? By the way, sorry for the long update, school had to come first.

* * *

**_

Wutai University…

Yuffie and Tifa had hurried out of the classroom to get to the parking lot as soon as possible. The cousins have agreed to meet their friends Carys and Zack at the parking lot so that they could go on over to the airport to meet up with Yuffie's father and Tifa's uncle Godo. He had been out for a while doing some trading while supporting for their education. Yuffie's mother had died in a traffic collision when she was twelve, and Tifa lost her parents in the same car at age fourteen—the driver, one Weiss Schwartzwald, the man who had caused the accident he died in had a blood-alcohol concentration of .2%.

Running down the grass, they had finally caught up with panting breaths. "Hey, what took you guys so long?" asked Zack, inserting the key into his pickup truck.

Tifa was still panting as she spoke. "Sorry…Professor Tuesti…he had to keep us behind for a bit…and…and…my god Yufs, how is it that you always have more energy than me? I swear…you are a bouncing sugar ball even today…" Yuffie was panting as she spoke as well. "Well at least I'm not the one who's ogling at Sephiroth Crescent all day long!"

"Hey, I'll have you know that Sephiroth is not the guy I was ogling at…you should follow your own advice when it comes to Reeve."

"Oh stop it, Professor Tuesti is way too old for me…although he is a hottie for thirty…too bad that he's got the band around his finger."

Zack cleared his throat, turning their attention to him. "Ladies, if you'll please, we have a destination to make. So if you don't mind, please get inside the car so that you can fight some more inside there." At that, the two of them stopped their arguing, and got into the car. Zack and Carys have been dating for a few months now, and so it would not be surprising that he wants to get this done quickly so that he can get back to ogling at his girlfriend: chestnut hair held up by a green headband, eyes the color of the sky behind a pair of small rectangular glasses, and a healthy tan fitting in on a slender pear-shaped body type…she was sort of the middle ground between Yuffie and Tifa's banana and hourglass shapes respectively.

"So what do you really think of Kadaj?" asked Tifa, "Okay, so I think he's a probable candidate," admitted Yuffie, as she buckled her seatbelt, "but it's been a while since we last dated…he hasn't even given me a call back since he went off into the Shin-Ra Soldier program. I don't know if he will ever find it in himself to step up."

"Give him some time Yuffs, maybe he'll come around."

"I know I should give him some time, and that he's a good guy and all; really sexy, really nice, but something tells me that he's not my Flying Demon."

The Flying Demon was a popular story among girls from ages 12 and up. It was the tale of a man that was cursed by the woman he loved to sail for eternity, for having broken his promise—now, every seven years, the Flying Demon comes from the Sailor's Hell to the mortal plane to search for a bride. "In that case, trust your instincts…but always keep him on mind."

"I'll do that Teef."

"So how was your test today?" asked Carys, running her hand up and down Zack's thigh subtly.

"It was easy," said Yuffie with pride in her voice, "Mr. Tuesti was covering the Western War." The Western War was a war that had ended not more than thirty years ago…it started when the Western Continent attacked the Eastern islands. For nearly thirty years, the war had raged on, and thirty years later, peace had come, the ravages of the war started healing themselves back again. However, it was like the beginning of the Edo period—many battleships were decommissioned and sent to the scrapyard to be torn apart and remade into civilian vehicles, although a handful have turned to petty banditry and piracy. It just so happened to be Yuffie's favorite history subject because it was around the time of the Flying Demon legend—a legend that she still favors more than any other.

"I swear, if you keep studying such subjects like that with a passion, you'll never get a guy to go out with you!" said Zack, stopping the car. "We're here!" With that, the two girls got out of the car, and walked into the airport, waiting at port number 7...

* * *

Moments ago: Highwind Mess Hall…

Godo simply walked around in the cafeteria with a tray in hand, carrying a bowl of barbecued chicken strips on rice. Something about him seemed familiar, and even Cid had mentioned that he had seen his ship before…perhaps he's just a regular old nameless pirate? No, something about Captain Valentine bothered him…he just couldn't put his finger on it. The surname of Valentine alone sounded familiar, but who was he? He simply walked on towards the mess hall and found that it was populated with the crew from both Valentine's ship, and the crew of the "Highwind". As he looked around, he found one familiar face among everyone enjoying their lunch…it was the woman who was checking up on and healing all the injured parties. Godo walked on, and found a seat in front of the auburn-haired beauty of roughly 25 years of age. "Can I help you?" she asked, wiping her mouth as she took a gander at her visitor.

Godo could not be more stunned when he looked into her emerald eyes. "I was wondering…out of concern for my daughter…what kind of person is your captain, Miss…?"

The woman offered her hand to shake with Godo, giving a slight smile as she did so. "Gainsborough, Doctor Aeris Gainsborough. I'm the ship's doctor."

Godo released his hand from hers as he took his seat in front of her. "Well it's a pleasure doctor. Anyway, what can you tell me about him?"

Aeris sighed and looked to her food. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you much about him because I'm one of the newer members of his crew, but I will tell you something, your daughter will be in good hands. I mean, yeah, I know he's a pirate, and yeah I know that he's got this debt over my head for sparing my life, but something about him tells me that I don't want to pay my debts back to him…it's like if he disappears from my life, he'll disappear for good, and I'll never have these good times with him again…it's like he's become a permanent part of my life in a good way. What do you think of him?"

Godo went to work thoughtfully on his charbroiled chicken strips, picking the pieces up with his chopsticks and putting them into his mouth before picking up his bowl and pushing a bit of rice with each piece he ate. "From what I could tell on day one, he's a very formidable opponent—I wouldn't want to be on the business end of either that revolver of his or that power claw…in fact, I believe it would be foolish to resist him when he has so much of a tactical mind about him. Judging from my analysis of him, and getting my response from you, I'd say he's a man that deserves a good deal of respect. Although something bugs me about him."

"How so?"

The confusion in his face was noticed by the ship's doctor. "I don't know, but I feel as if I've seen his face somewhere…and call me crazy, but he seemed to have this scent of death wafting off of him—and it's mixed in with this burning sensation about him like the air was very hot only in his presence."

Aeris looked to her acquaintance with some surprise in her eyes before she calmed herself. "No, I don't think you're crazy, especially not with the heat about him. I may not have your sharpened senses as a ninja to tell if he's really dead or not, but I get this feeling that he's alive when he's supposed to be dead…it's as if whenever I have a meeting with him, it's like I'm talking to a ghost…like he's here, and yet, not here. You know what I'm saying?"

"I know that feeling…from the few times that I've been speaking to him, he seems to have this look in his eyes…something is troubling him. I'd call it nostalgia, but it's probably a more extreme form of it…where he sees visions of the past, and it seems to slow him a bit in the present. It's probably just that, but either way, I doubt my daughter would take the news of her marriage without kicking and screaming first."

Aeris laughed…whatever for, Godo could not tell. "I doubt it'll matter—if I managed to get along with him in a short amount of time, then it won't take long for her to get along with the captain at the very least. Like I said, she'll be in good hands if she marries him—and she'll see just how much she'll like him in due time."

* * *

The Highwind: Guest's Quarters

Captain Valentine slept in his bunk after his lunch—it was a small and modest cabin meant for guests of the captain and the boss, which he was, but he was used to it…normally, he avoided sleep anyway due to the many nightmares that had attacked him but this time, it was as if they had nobody else to bother, but he honestly didn't have much else to do except to sleep. As a result, he was almost always found near a decanter of coffee in the morning…he needed the caffeine to snap himself back into reality from his attempt to sleep at night. His curse was not the nightmares for they have plagued him even when he had gotten out of Hell, but what happens when he steps into the moonlight—he becomes something that is not of this world…and then he no longer simply becomes a ghost…he becomes much worse than that…

His dreams made him remember what had happened; they made him remember how he and the original crew died, how bad all the tortures were in Hell's jailhouse, how he had to watch from his place in the afterlife as Lucrecia cursed him for breaking his promise while the rest of his crew was tortured—everyone else managed to pass on or leave after settling their debt to him free of damnation…no, until he fulfills his promise to find a woman who would be loyal to him, he will be forever damned…it's actually a wonder that nobody except Reno, Rude, Tseng, Elena, and Shelke know of his secret. Reno, Rude, Tseng, and Elena were all part of the original crew who chose to stay with him after they died and so it's no surprise that they know; Shelke was brought back as well when the "Crimson Princess" was renovated upon his parole from Hell, and so even she knows his secret. Among the members of his crew that are not aware of his condition are Aeris and Shera, in addition to everyone else who has not died yet or settled their debt to him by then.

Halfway in the middle of his nightmare, Valentine woke to the sound of knocking on the metal door. "Come on in," he said with his eyes half-closed, and the door opened to reveal a blond man somewhat younger than himself with gravity-defying spiky hair, "Cloud, you rarely ever need to come on up to me personally to make a request—what can I do for you today?"

The look of concern on the younger man's face as well as the hurt was evident as he closed the door behind him. "Captain, I overheard from your four most-trusted members about this 'secret' of yours. Now know this; I just joined in because I thought that Aeris would be safe as long as I paid our debt to you, and what I want to know before I even consider leaving you is this; will it be dangerous when 'it' comes out in the presence of moonlight?"

Valentine was surprised—for once, someone outside of his small group knew of his secret. He simply sighed. "You do realize that eavesdropping is rude don't you? Anyway, there will be no danger when 'it' comes out…but people tend to run in fear when they do see 'it'. Why do you think I stay locked up in my own quarters? I don't want 'it' to be known about me…I do suppose you can be trusted not to tell any of the crew about it?"

"Who would believe me if I did? Besides, in all the time I've been in your debt, I actually took a liking to you…I don't think I can bring myself to tell anyone even if I didn't, especially after I looked even deeper into your past. It just hurts me that you never told any of the crew your secret when you know that they are your family. We trust you, just as you trust us and you don't even tell us why you stay away from us at night—can you blame me feeling that way?"

"No…I doubt I would…ah yes, before I forget Cloud, yours and Aeris' debt with me has already been settled, and so the two of you may leave whenever you wish…but if you do want to leave, I would recommend that you do so as soon we are landed in Wutai, for the trip back to the base would begin in a few weeks. If you want to stay, that's fine, but I would prefer if you left—I feel bad because the two of you would be wasting your time here to comfort me when you should be out in the world living out your lives and being happy without me in it…there's no need to worry about me, I'm already used to goodbyes after seeing so many members of my crew leaving and passing on."

"I really don't know what to say Captain."

"Don't say anything then. Is there anything else you wish of me?"

"No. But I will consider what you tell me."

"Godspeed then Cloud…and may the gates of heaven open for the two of you."

As he watched his newest crewmember bow and leave, Valentine reclined back into his seat. His next trip would be to Sailor's Hell—the part of Hell where sailors, good and bad, have died breaking a promise, and still have regrets on breaking those promises. If he does not stay there for seven years, then his disguise will be chipped away and his true form would be revealed…for he is no longer a human, nor is he a ghost—he is a demon now…

* * *

Wutai Airport, Dock 7…

Yuffie and Tifa sat around at the waiting area for almost half an hour now. They were getting anxious. "You still nervous?"

"Of course I am; Dad just called yesterday and said that he'd be coming home with a new friend. Why wouldn't I be nervous? I just hope that this new friend of his isn't just some prick who's just using him for money…I remember that Scarlet bitch…" Scarlet was Godo's last wife—and like she had said, she was a bitch…she abused Yuffie and Tifa, made them do all the chores, and all so that she could go on out and date other guys using Godo's money. She really made him believe she was a good person…now he knows better. From that day on, Godo never married again.

"I won't argue with that."

The sound of the Highwind landing and the beep that signaled that it had docked had sounded off. Yuffie and Tifa ran towards the door as soon as it opened, and both closed their eyes as they ran to hug Godo. "Dad! I've missed you!" As Yuffie grabbed her target, she realized that her father had gotten thinner—as if he had turned into a woman overnight. She opened her eyes, and found herself looking into the prettiest red eyes she had ever seen…

* * *

_**A/N: Captain Barbossa's curse inspired Vincent's curse, only Vincent's curse won't turn him into a zombie pirate.**_


	4. Wager

_**A/N: We get a glimpse of what Vincent becomes when he is exposed to the moonlight…and we finally see Vincent's competition…**_

_**

* * *

**_

Nighttime, at the Kisaragi estate…

Captain Valentine stood around in the guest quarters of the Kisaragi residence. It was a modest sort of estate. The moon was out, and that meant that he would be exposed if there were any windows showing him off to the world…as he put his left arm through the moonlight he saw its true form revealed—it was made of magma covered in plates of obsidian in such a way that looked like a form-fitting gauntlet. The second his true form is shown, every solid object he touches would burn at the very least, and any water he touches is purified of pollution and germs via a sort of distillation process as he dissipates considerably more heat than the standard human body.

The second he pulled his hand away from the moonlight, he closed the curtains before finding his way to the bed, and laying down upon it, reminiscing upon the days he was still alive, when the "Crimson Angel" was once known as the "Crimson Princess"…oh how he fought so hard to defend his homeland of Wutai, and for the love of one of the prettiest girls in the town. She was a foreigner who was arranged to marry a scientist on the island—the scientist named Hojo. He then brought his mind back to his first meeting with Yuffie, for it was then that Valentine felt something shocking his spine…something that he had not felt in a long time. Maybe it was the hope that he would be free, and that he would finally be able to find the love that had been robbed from him with his death.

As he thought back on the past, he also came to think about the events that had happened earlier in the day…

* * *

Roughly 2:30 PM: Wutai Airport, Dock 7…

He looked down, and saw eyes the color of coffee looking back up at him…they were so beautiful…she was beautiful…he could immediately see the resemblance to Godo, but he could tell that her mother was dominant in her…a trait that he shared with her. "Yuffie, this is my new friend, Captain Valentine," said Godo, "we just met during a pirate raid, and he saved us. He's going to be staying with us for a while until he gets his bearings."

Yuffie turned to face her father. "He is?"

"Yes. Apparently, he just happened to be lost, and then he found us, and drove the pirates away."

This was the story that the two of them had come up with the day that Valentine had attacked Godo. She will be informed tonight of the incoming marriage. As they started walking towards the exit of the airport, Yuffie was surprised at the appearance of a young man with green eyes and shoulder-length silver hair.

"Kadaj?" she called out, getting the attention of the young man as he ran towards her. "Yuffie! It's been a while!"

Valentine looked at the young man—Lucrecia had mentioned that silver hair was not uncommon in her family, and so this young man must have been one of her children. He then watched as Kadaj hugged his friend as affectionately as a brother would his sister. It was then that Kadaj caught sight of Valentine, and for a brief moment, his eyes of joy turned to eyes of caution—had he been discovered? No, but the look of suspicion in his rival's eyes gave him that idea. "What are you doing here Kadaj?" asked Yuffie, "Oh, I'm just here for break," he answered, "the Shin-Ra SOLDIER academy is really tough work. Here I am, training to be a grade-A swordsman like my big bro, and then it turns out that I also have to deal with the actual academic work—it's really hard because you have to balance your theoretical knowledge with your practical."

"Well it's good that you're taking a break. I actually haven't seen you for a while! Oh yeah, this is Captain Valentine, he's dad's new friend! He's going to be staying with us for a while until he finds his bearings."

"A pleasure to meet you." Captain Valentine bowed, hiding his look of caution towards this youngster. He knew from that moment on that he would be having competition.

"Well, I'm off to visit Sephiroth. Do say 'hi' to Carys for me would you please?"

"Sure thing."

* * *

6:30 PM: The Kisaragi Residence…

"WHAT?!" yelled out Yuffie at the dinner table, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'HE'S MY FIANCÉ'?! YOU'D BETTER START EXPLAINING!" "Valentine here has shown interest in marrying you as per tradition," said Godo, "and so being the father of the bride, I have agreed to give him one week to change his mind."

"TO HELL WITH TRADITION! DON'T I HAVE A SAY IN THIS?"

In his anger, Godo slammed the table with both hands, raising his voice to a yell and matching his daughter's tone. "ENOUGH WITH THIS! You are going to marry him in one week—that's all there is to it. In terms of tradition, he as the groom-to-be will be the final judge as to whether or not he will marry you. However, you do have one thing to save you: I have equal say in this arrangement as well—in other words, if either of us disagrees to this marriage, then the whole deal is off, no questions asked. So if you want this to go smoothly, I would recommend that you take this time to get along with your future husband."

Yuffie said nothing. She simply stood up. "I'd like to be excused."

The conversation was going nowhere…and it was obvious as to where she wanted to go in the eyes of Godo. "Now, about these plans…" before he could continue, Godo found himself speaking to nobody in particular. This is just grand…first his daughter, and then his prospective future son-in-law…

* * *

6:50 PM: Wallace's Power Gym

Valentine had followed Yuffie to this place—he could understand her…if he were steamed out, then he himself would go to the gym in order to vent out his frustrations. He simply watched as she beat the living daylights out of the heavy bag using roundhouse kick after roundhouse kick. This was traditional Wusheng-style hand-to-hand combat, and judging from her kicks, he could tell that she was obviously an elite-level student in the hard form. The Wusheng Special Operations division of Wutai takes pride in their skills at all forms of close-quarters combat, and especially in bare-handed combat. The hard form focuses on quick and powerful attacks directed at the body, meant to break bones and cause traumas, and is the first form that students learn.

"Your kicks need some work," he said, coming out of the shadows, inwardly chuckling as she almost tipped over, "but they are done pretty well for one of your level."

"What are you doing here?" The anger in Yuffie's voice was not missed. It was another thing he understood…arranged marriages were becoming old-fashioned, even in his eyes, but he needed to do this, for the freedom of his crew and his search for love was at stake…he had a very big burden upon himself. "I just wanted to come on over and make sure you were all right," he answered simply, "I know how you'd feel with what I did, but at least you do in fact have a say in this arrangement at the very least."

"What do you mean? Doesn't my dad have equal say in this?"

"He does, but even I can tell that he sincerely loves you. You need only speak with him after at least three days to cancel the engagement. So basically, it's all up to you—it's your decision after three days have elapsed…and then Godo will have the final say. If you don't want me as a husband by that time, then I'll understand—I won't take it personally. But at the very least, I'd like to start off as your friend…"

"Uh-uh, no way. After what you told my dad, there's no way I'm going to want you."

"Then how about we make a wager?"

"What sort?"

"If you can land an unblocked hit on me in under ten moves by the time I knock you down, then I'll call off the engagement. And in addition, the winner gets to ask anything of the loser."

Yuffie grinned. This was too easy! She'll make this bastard rue the day he challenged her to a martial arts competition and forced an engagement upon her. And she had the perfect punishment for him…she was on par with Tifa in terms of martial arts skills, and judging from his frame, he would probably be an easy win. She'll humiliate him for what he did! And so the two of them walked to the middle of the ring meant for mixed martial arts sparring practice…her "fiancé" simply kept his coat and stood in a calm and relaxed position while she put on her shin guards and fighting gloves and got into the hard form basic stance with her left side facing the opponent.

Yuffie began the fight with a battle cry, and charged in, throwing out a left straight punch, only to watch as her opponent simply swerved his body to the left, duck under a right hook, and then gently move his left arm around to capture her left arm by the elbow in a circular motion in the middle of a haymaker before he flipped her off the ground, and jumping over a sweep kick as soon as she landed on the ground. So far, it was four moves…for a hard form fighter, she was good; a bit sloppy on her technique, but she carried herself with enough of the dancer's grace. She then moved on in, and performed a roundhouse kick with her right leg that he ducked under, followed by a backwards hook kick from her left leg and then a straight kick aimed at his solar plexus. Valentine swerved to the right, and then dodged three rapid punches aimed at his face with a back flip and landing on both of his feet.

"I'm afraid you lose. I'm sorry, but a deal's a deal." With that, Valentine turned around to leave before he caught Yuffie in the middle of a jump-kick with both arms in a circular motion before throwing her onto the ground on her back, pinning her down with his left hand and knee, and readying his hand in the "phoenix eye" fist to strike at her neck. With that, he let her go and composed himself. "Sorry about that; reflexes. As agreed upon, we're going to keep this engagement going—but in the meantime, I'd like to go on out to dinner with you tomorrow night. You get to choose the restaurant."

Yuffie simply looked in wonder at her fiancé as she followed him along. She wasn't sure what to think—sure he forced her into a marriage, and so she was angry at him for that, but now she was curious about him…as if the whole prospect of marrying him was giving her this opportunity to find out. What he had attacked her with was nothing short of Wusheng advanced techniques—her master Susanoo taught this form only to students who have advanced past the hard form, and that death strike he was about to perform was a finishing move known as the "Phoenix Hammer". Why does Valentine know the soft form?

But all that aside, she saw something in his eyes that seemed to pull her in. He was hiding something from her, and apparently from her dad. She'll have to pull these secrets out of him, and she has all week to do so…

* * *

Valentine had started falling asleep as he had been reminiscing on these events. Perhaps with this dinner, he can turn things around—get on better terms with Yuffie…it didn't look like his plan to marry her was going to be easy, but then again, what in the world was easy anymore? He closed his eyes, and allowed the dreams to take over—it was at this point that he didn't care if they were nightmares, he wanted sleep…

* * *

Kadaj walked on out of the airport as if nothing happened. Carys and Kadaj were something of an item before they broke up in high school—now she is satisfied with her current man, and enjoying the pleasure of making love to someone, and having him love her back. What broke the two of them up was that they had grown into different directions; Kadaj wanted to be a SOLDIER and Carys wanted to study as a physician. It was then that the two of them broke up after realizing that they were going to be growing far apart…some time after their breakup, Yuffie and Kadaj had started seeing each other. They remained good friends even after Kadaj broke up with Carys…although Kadaj saw Yuffie as more than just a possible sister-type figure.

He then parked the car at his home. He and his brothers were all that's left after their mother had died and their father had run out on them. The house was a large plaster construction that the eldest brother of the four of them had earned enough money to buy and maintain. He inserted the key, and walked in. "It's been a while Kadaj," said a voice from the couch—how he knew who it was, Kadaj will never know, but for some reason, his big brother Sephiroth always knew things.

"Likewise Seph."

"You're worried about this newcomer aren't you? This Captain Valentine?"

"Yeah."

Sephiroth got up from his barcalounger and turned to face his brother. "Something about him bothers me as well. When Yuffie brought him over to meet me, Yazoo, and Loz something seemed odd about him. What it is, I'm not sure. If you'd like, you can join me…I fear for Yuffie's safety as well."

Kadaj didn't know what to say—this was probably a good opportunity to see what kind of man that Captain Valentine really was. Whatever he may learn will probably be useful in winning Yuffie. He simply nodded and then followed his brother…

* * *

_**A/N: Sorry it's short, but I was dealing with school...but we'll see the return of Cid, and we'll learn of his findings.**_


	5. Clues

_**A/N: Oh dear…Cid found the first clue…it's time to bring out the handy dandy…NOTEBOOK!

* * *

**_

Wutai Airport Hangar 7…

Cid had put most of his energy toward finding out about this Bahamut-like ship…why did it look familiar? He had spoken with Godo sometime earlier, and apparently, he was bothered by the captain as well. If he can find out the identity of this ship, then he can find a list of captains who took command of it—and thus he can narrow down the list of suspects that owned this beauty. As he slammed on his desk in frustration, he got up, and sat on the catwalk looking upon the "Crimson Angel" and overseeing the work that was being done on the "Highwind". Well, at least this captain knew to pay back for his damages by fixing them.

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked a female voice behind him. Cid cursed under his breath with a silent "bloody hell" as he turned to see a woman with chestnut hair and eyes and dressed in a lab coat. She had a tray of coffee in her hands as she sat down next to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you; we didn't have a chance to meet. I'm Shera Renoir, chief engineer of the 'Crimson Angel'. Am I bothering you with something?"

"Nah, it's nothing," he said, "it's just that I don't believe that a ship like this could have ever seen a bloody battle. Look at it, it's probably way ahead of its time judging from its age, and here it is housing a bunch of pirates."

"Well, I'm just thankful that I had a good captain."

"How did you join the crew anyhow?"

"A lot of us are members of other ships that the captain plundered. I don't know why, but for some reason, he spared certain members of the ships he attacks due to some quality in them that he likes. I should know this because he told me himself when I asked him after about three weeks into my debt that there was something about me that he liked…he never elaborated, but I never pushed it again after that. I suppose he chooses you due to whatever he sees in your eyes that he likes…"

"Did you ever find out for yourself why he bloody liked you?"

"I still haven't figured it out, but if he wanted me simply for my skills as an engineer, he would probably have treated me like a tool plain and simple—but the day he puts you in his debt, you're under his command, and he really takes care of everyone under him. I suppose that's why the crew has so much respect for him, and so they're hesitant to leave when they've paid up their debt to him."

As Cid took a gander in Shera's chestnut eyes, he began to wonder…what sort of person was he? Captain Valentine was a very strange pirate…some pirate captains he had heard about wouldn't give a damn about their crew and treat them as expendable, but he seems to really care. And as he looked harder, it was then that he saw something in this woman that was the ship's engineer. Oh, now he knows…and as soon as he had made that revelation, it made him blush. He won't reveal to her what he had found out.

"In any case," he said, "take a butcher's at this beauty…streamlined design, efficient placement of all broadside and primary weapons; I'm not kidding you, the blighters that designed her must've died to make her such a beautiful work of art and combine it with functionality and practicality for warfare—she even has her statues on certain parts of the ship with a purpose behind it."

Shera moved her hand behind Cid as she gazed upon the beauty that was her ship. "I know…that's what I thought when I first saw the 'Angel'. She seemed so beautiful to me and with such painstaking attention to detail in order to make such a perfect ship of her class—it seems to me like she's too expensive and pretty to be a mass-produced model Bahamut."

"Yeah, I know. I…" Cid was interrupted from his thoughts as he had come up with an idea, "what was it you just said?"

Shera sighed in frustration. "I said that 'it seems to me like she's too expensive and pretty to be a mass-produced model Bahamut', why?"

"I was just trying to find out your captain's identity. Y'know, help my bloke Godo see what kind of man he's tying his daughter with. Now you said it yourself that it's too pretty and expensive to be bloody mass-produced correct? Now why do you suppose that is so?"

Shera's eyes were fixed in thought…it was then that she shook her head. She understood his concern—that girl the captain was marrying was probably a treasure to this man. "Well, off the top of my head, it is either that this is indeed a mass-produced Bahamut airship that has been reproduced highly accurately and customized down to the power generator, or this is a prototype model—in other words, the very first Bahamut battle cruiser ever made."

What Shera had said made sense—unless it's a heavily customized ship, there's no way that a Bahamut would look better and be even stronger than the standard mass-produced model unless it's a prototype. And now that he had the big clue, he now knew what this ship was—there was only one ship like it in the world and no subsequent Bahamut battle cruiser could ever match up to it…but that's impossible! How is it that it exists now? There's no mistaking it—it was no wonder he found this ship familiar! How could he have been so blind?! In the history of airship shipwright masterpieces, there's only one ship of this type with this many good features going for it, and that's the "Crimson Princess"! Such remarks as 'WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!' and 'HOW IS THIS EVEN FUCKING POSSIBLE?!' popped into his head, but the biggest remark was 'Wait a minute, if this is the authentic "Crimson Princess", then how does Valentine fucking fit into all of this?'…hell, he's going to find that list of captains who have commanded that bloody fine ship…well, bloody fine ghost ship.

With that, Cid stood up, and had Shera running after him. "Wait! Where are you going? I…" Shera was running so fast that she had unconsciously closed in on him quickly, but as she was running, she raised her hand, and accidently found herself grabbing a part that caused her to become red as a tomato when she saw…Cid paused in his running, looking at the blushing woman, and obviously embarrassed himself—this was the first time that this had ever happened to him, especially since this was a virgin lady who had just grabbed his ass. After clearing her throat, Shera turned her head away—she was still embarrassed by what she did. "W-w-what I mean is…maybe I can help…I'd like to know who my captain really is…I want to know more about him…"

Cid was still embarrassed as well—and his head was turned to avoid her gaze. "Uh-um…sure thing…it's just…ah, let's just go." With that, the two of them ran to the library…

* * *

Zack's Apartment…

The sound of the new ringtone she had downloaded for her cell phone had rung out. Carys had heard that sound next to Zack's bed. God damn it, who could it is that was calling her at seven in the morning, and on a Friday? What kind of monster would call a college student on the first day of his or her three-day weekend? She simply reached for the phone, and answered it. "Hello?"

"Carys?"

"Ugh. Do you know what time it is Yuffie? Can't a regular college student sleep in after a hot night on Friday?"

"Carys, I need your help…I'm going out to dinner with someone at Chez Rouge, and I'm not sure what to wear. You want to meet me at the mall today?"

"Sure. I'll meet you around 2…"

It was then that there was motion on the bed. "Yuffie needs help as usual?" As he spoke, Zack ran his strong hand gently up Carys' leg, and then started tracing circles around her belly button and kissing her neck. To her, that never got old; as a matter of fact, bedding this gentleman beside her would never get old at all. "Yeah, she said she wanted to go out and find something to wear for a dinner at Chez Rouge."

He lifted his head from her neck and looked at her. "Chez Rouge? That Corellian restaurant in the northern end of town? If I know Yuffie, she only takes guys there when she thinks they're really special—I believe the last time she went there was with…"

"Yeah. I know, she went out with Kadaj. I really want him to be happy and all, but you know—him choosing to be in the army, and me choosing to be a doctor, we both went our separate ways. And then Yuffie dates him and sees him only as a brother she should have had. What says you to that Zack?"

"Well, from what you told me of Kadaj, he is in fact a good person. I just hope he gets clued in on Yuffie's thoughts about him before he gets shattered. Although if I were him, I'd talk to her before she goes out to see someone else."

Carys turned around in the bed under the blanket and looked into her lover's eyes—oh those pools of sapphire had mesmerized her so. She only smiled at him, and then kissed him while hugging him. Even after one night of hot passion where she was spanked on her rump just yesterday, he still managed to make her more sensitive to his touch and wanting more. The two naked lovers then covered themselves under the blanket, for this morning would be as…fun as last night…

* * *

Godo's Office…

The two piles of paperwork were beginning to annoy the sole occupant sitting at the desk. To think, being a merchant would have been easier than working as a member of the Wusheng Special Operations unit…how boring! But then again, he is doing a good thing for his country—even though his family has long been traditionally a ninja family loyal to the royalty (hell, at one point, they WERE royalty), they still found all sorts of ways to help Wutai. In Godo's case, he was working to help his country get richer…ever since the end of the war thirty years ago, him and his family had been scattered in terms of work. Some managed to find work with the government as counterterrorist and special operations units, and they continued to work in the shadows as all ninjas were trained to work…others, such as Godo himself, traded in their swords and shuriken for checkbooks, butcher knives and frying pans, as well as anvils and hammers. Yes, after the Kisaragi mixed in with the crowd in different ways, Wutai started getting stronger—in fact, they are about as powerful as the megalopolis known as Midgar, with whom they had fought the "Western War" against…to the people of Midgar, this was known as the "Wutai War". Oh he remembered those days when he was a twelve-year-old gennin…in Wutai, the minimum age for recruiting ninjas is around age 12, while standard foot soldiers are recruited at age 16.

He remembered the days when his ninja squad was one of the finest of all the rookies—they were known as Team Storm, and they were consisted of himself, his future wife Nomura Michiko, his future brother-in-law Hayate Lockheart, and his team captain code-named Susanoo. His team was on tier with and in competition with two other teams: Team Moon and Team Sun. Whereas his unit was specialized in assault with the highest kill rate on Midgar soldiers, Team Moon was mostly known for their ability to track and assassinate targets with the record in most precision kills lead by the mysterious Tsukuyomi, and Team Sun was prized for their ability to defend objectives and for their expertise in demolitions work lead by his best friend Chekov, code-named Amaterasu. All ninja teams had consisted of four-man squads, and then the three units came together and found themselves not simply as competition, but also as colleagues, and so the alliance known as the "Shadows of Izumo" came to be.

Before he could think anymore on the past, he heard someone barging in. "It's all right Elmyra," he said, before his secretary could speak up, "they're guests. So Sephiroth, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

The man in question stepped into the office and took a seat as soon as Elmyra left the room. "I've heard that you're about to marry off young Yuffie, am I correct?"

"I suppose there are things that do not escape your knowledge then is there Detective Crescent? In any case, I've been wondering as to my future son-in-law's true identity myself. Is there anything of interest that you found?"

"I have bits and pieces so far…however, I do have one bit of information coming from an informant that should be coming on over shortly…"

This would be the second time someone had barged into his office. It was Cid, and the look of confusion on his face was obvious from the first second he stepped into the room. "Detective, good to see you…" "Likewise Captain Highwind…please, have a seat, and tell us of your findings."

"Right…boss, like I told this wanker over the phone, I found a clue as to our mystery groom's bloody identity." As he paused, he was motioned by Godo to continue. "Anyway, I was looking over his ship, and it didn't really fit any serial number for any mass-produced Bahamut in the list. As I continued reading, it turns out that his ship was a prototype Bahamut battle cruiser…that went under the name of 'Crimson Princess'. Now I checked the timelines, and the name goes back to a Captain Vincent Valentine of the Wutainese Air Force…and according to the timeline, it shows that Vincent Valentine is the sole captain of the 'Princess' since the day he was promoted to being a captain of his own ship, and earned himself the nickname of 'The Flying Demon of Nibelheim' because out of all the battles he's fought and won, Nibelheim was the place he had held the longest due to the large number of ambushes he had set up there. Nowadays, everyone on the Western Continent just calls him 'The Flying Demon' because of his ferocity in battle—hell, my old codger back at Rocket Town still has nightmares from when that guy boarded his ship and tore apart every bloody soul that dared to challenge him. According to him, he fought the way I saw him fight in the 'Highwind' earlier—in fact, I would say that his style matches your own."

As soon as Cid had finished, he looked up into the ceiling in confusion. "When Captain Highwind presented me with his findings, I learned that Vincent Valentine was but a cover. As I continued to prod on and on in the black ops files, I found out that his military career goes back to the Wusheng personnel databases. I have a suspicion that you may know Valentine, because I've looked into his files, and his true identity became clear to me now…"

* * *

"Crimson Angel" Captain's Quarters…

Shelke's cameras were focused on the door to the shower. She could blame Elena for this—she bunked with Reno, Rude, and Tseng, all of whom were with the captain even before the first day he came on board. The reason she blamed Elena was because as one of the only women on this ship, she had to instill a curiosity for the opposite gender into the AI construct what with her speaking to Aeris and Shera about her feelings for Tseng, and the obvious crush aimed at her by Reno.

Thanks to this, Shelke found herself resorting to petty voyeurism just to get his attention. Unscrupulous, but who can judge a machine? In any case, she sat tight, and watched as her personal and unwitting pornography star walked on out of the shower room with a towel wrapped around his waist as the steam from the shower had enveloped his form. Looking at his body was never going to get old with her—what was there not to like? He had a slender and muscular catlike frame; combined with his facial features, he could put any woman to shame in a beauty contest. The only thing that frightened women was the amount of scars crisscrossing his body. She then noted that he was walking towards the closet when he suddenly paused and then promptly threw the towel quickly at the lens—shit! He figured it out!

"Up until now I had a feeling that I've had eyes upon me," said Captain Valentine, "I just never suspected that you would stoop so low Shelke." "Come on captain," she said with a whine in her voice, "even I need to have some release—although being a machine, I can't put out the feelings that an organism can in heat, I still have an emotional processor."

Vincent stepped into the closet after slipping on his boxers, and looking through his clothes that he had kept outside of his tenure with the air force. "You can't blame your actions on Elena…only if you have a corporeal body of your own will I allow you to use that excuse. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find my wallet."

As she resumed control of her camera, Shelke got one glance at her captain—he was wearing beige khakis, chocolate-colored slip-on shoes, a light leather jacket, and with a burgundy long-sleeve button-down shirt while he placed his wallet into the back pocket; yep, he was ready for that date all right. As soon as she was done watching, she willed herself into the top-secret lab in the core room. She can't blame Elena for her voyeuristic tendencies without a body? Very soon, Shelke will have a reason to blame her…and even more reason to do more than just that…

* * *

Outside the Pagoda Way Town Center…

Yuffie and Carys had walked down the street with a bag in their possession. "So what's this guy like?" she asked, "I dunno," answered Yuffie, "I don't really know much about him except that he and dad just met. He's sticking around a bit to restock and resupply before he leaves again. But something about him pulls me in…like I want to know more about him. Also, last night, he kicked my ass in Barrett's gym."

Carys looked at her friend in surprise. "No way…the Great Yuffie Kisaragi, the almighty 'White Rose of Wutai', got her ass handed to her by a total stranger?"

"And by my own style too…judging by his technique, I'd say he's at least a ninth-level black belt if not a sensei himself."

"And you're seeing him tonight?"

"Yeah, mostly due to the fact that I lost to him. The good news about it is that I get to pick the restaurant."

"A guy that makes you choose the restaurant? What kind of date is that? Where is he from anyway?"

"I'm going to ask him that when I get to dinner."

"You'd better…I want to know all the juicy details!"

The two of them continued to stroll on over to Yuffie's house. The two of them had been friends since elementary. It would be no surprise that they spend a lot of time together. "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure I crack him and make him reveal all."

* * *

_**A/N: First clue…the "Crimson Angel", formerly "Crimson Princess", is a prototype; Second clue…Sephiroth's revelations; and the final clue is Godo's memory. Who is Valentine? Sorry for the shortness, but I plan to add another twist fairly soon.

* * *

**_

_**Translations:**_

_**Gennin—read in kanji as "lower patience", this is a trainee ninja, and so they are usually the ones who are in the field to perform the actual work. Ninjas are so-named by the characters for "patience person" or "practitioner of patience" because of the work they do (recon and assassination requires patience, planning, and timing), and so the kanji used to denote a ninja's rank always describes the amount of training for patience that they have.**_

_**Susanoo, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu—the triplets of Japanese Shintoism. Susanoo is the god of war and storms, Tsukuyomi is the god of the moon, and Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun said to have been the ancestor of the emperors.**_

_**Black belt—in some forms of martial arts (usually the open-handed styles), the black belt is a representation of how well you understand the theory behind the martial art in question…just a black belt itself means you're already above the average student, but as you get better, you start adding more marks per level to your belt—ninth level is the highest you can go…anyone way past that is eligible to be a sensei.**_


	6. IMPORTANT!

**Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.**

**Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.**

**For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.**

**It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.**

**If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.**

**While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.**

**For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.**

**Psudocode_Samurai**

**Rocketman1728**

**dracohalo117**

**VFSNAKE**

**Agato the Venom Host**

**Jay Frost**

**SamCrow**

**Blood Brandy**

**Dusk666**

**Hisea Ori**

**The Dark Graven**

**BlackRevenant**

**Lord Orion Salazar Black**

**Sakusha Saelbu**

**Horocrux**

**socras01**

**Kumo no Makoto**

**Biskoff**

**Korraganitar the NightShadow**

**NightInk**

**Lazruth**

**ragnrock kyuubi**

**SpiritWriterXXX**

**Ace6151**

**FleeingReality**

**Harufu**

**Exiled crow**

**Slifer1988**

**Dee Laynter**

**Angeldoctor**

**Final Black Getsuga**

**ZamielRaizunto**

**Fenris187**

**blood enraged**

**arashiXnoXkami**

**Masane Amaha's King**

**Blueexorist**

**Nero Angelo Sparda**

**Uzunaru999**

**ZariGS**

**Legionary Prime**

Kurogane7


End file.
